REVIEWS Archives - Page 9 of 641

12Oct

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

The Big Cheese – The Golden Goose

Surely it can't be hard to sell cheese, can it? Inspired by her own experiences of working in a cheese shop, this new comedy by writer and director Bylli Gomez pokes fun at middle class Britain through a lens of millennial problems. 30 year old Bee, living with her mum after losing both her job and her relationship, is desperate to find work. When she gets a trial shift at a cheese shop, things go from bad to worse for her as she ends up stealing a jacket, destroying an expensive wheel of cheese and drowning her sorrows in a bottle of wine. Gomez herself plays Bee, a woman carving her own way through life, in spite of her constantly disappointed mother. Bee's mistakes are endless, but that doesn't stop her. Gomez makes her character endearing and expressive, easily getting the audie...

12Oct

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Who Killed Marilyn? – Emerald Theatre

There is a particular pleasure in a story that makes you impatient for its next revelation, and ‘Who Killed Marilyn?’ taps into precisely that feeling, unfolding with the intrigue of a crime novel whose pages you keep turning long after you intended to stop. An expansive retelling of Marilyn Monroe’s life and death, it draws Hollywood glamour, political power and conspiracy into a theatrical mystery that is thoroughly captivating. Written by Sharleen Cooper Cohen and directed by Philip Wm. McKinley, the production follows Monroe’s story after becoming famous, through the relationships and powerful interests surrounding her, including the Kennedys, organised crime and the machinery of celebrity, which all enter the frame as the circumstances of her death come under scrutiny. Conspiracy t...

A Play, a Pie and a Pint: Whaur’s Yer Wullie Shakespeare Noo? – Traverse Theatre

12Oct

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

A Play, a Pie and a Pint: Whaur’s Yer Wullie Shakespeare Noo? – Traverse Theatre

Whaur’s Yer Wullie Shakespeare Noo is a comedic reenactment debating not just the Scots Enlightenment in the mid-1700s, but also the value of pure entertainment and man’s inclination to cling to traditional modes of thought. Writer and Director, Brian Logan is currently the Artistic Director of A Play, a Pie and a Pint. He has returned to his homeland from a sojourn in London where he championed The Camden People’s Theatre for thirteen years. Clergymen and thinkers, David Hume and Alexander Carlyle join John Witherspoon (a Scottish Presbyterian Minister and Founding Father of the United States) and Hume’s cousin, John Home, in a fictional recreation of the real men behind several ideas which carry through to today’s society. Actors, Gavin Jon Wright (so good looking), Kevin Lennon (c...

Sweeney Todd: A Legacy of Blood – The Studio, Widnes

12Oct

By Grace LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Sweeney Todd: A Legacy of Blood – The Studio, Widnes

There is something particularly refreshing about seeing original writing brought to life on stage, especially when a familiar story is reimagined from a different perspective. Sweeney Todd: A Legacy of Blood, presented by Warrington-based SOUP Productions at The Studio, delivers a dark, Gothic and blood-soaked evening of theatre, blending murder, companionship, madness and meat pies with a heavy-rock edge. Making his debut as both writer and director for SOUP Productions, Marcus Cameron has taken inspiration from the original Gothic tale, Sweeney Todd: A String of Pearls, creating his own distinctive interpretation of the infamous demon barber of Fleet Street and his accomplice, Mrs Lovett. Rather than simply retelling the story audiences may recognise from previous stage productions...

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – Lyceum Theatre

10Oct

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – Lyceum Theatre

The National Theatre of Scotland’s new expressionistic production of ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ is a magnificent theatrical gem. Since the 1960s, theatre audiences have enjoyed the Jay Presson Allen adaptation of Muriel Spark’s iconic novel. That features an eccentric but lovable teacher in 1930s Edinburgh, and her influence on the young girls in her care. Vanessa Redgrave played Brodie in the 1966 West End production but turned down the part for the 1969 film version, allowing Maggie Smith to step in and claim her first Oscar. David Harrower is only the second writer to be allowed to adapt the novel, receiving permission from Muriel Spark herself shortly before her death in 2006. Harrower’s adaptation, which premiered at London’s Donmar Warehouse in 2018, and has been rev...

User Manual for a Broken Machine – Holy Cross Church

10Oct

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

User Manual for a Broken Machine – Holy Cross Church

A vacuum cleaner might seem an unlikely starting point for an absorbing piece of theatre about growing up under the demands of economic and technological progress. Yet KASSNA’s ‘User Manual for a Broken Machine’ takes this ordinary domestic object and builds an inventive, energetic production around it, exploring the human cost of being expected to always function efficiently. Written and directed by Namoo Chae Lee, the work begins with a broken Daewoo vacuum cleaner and the instructions intended to restore it to working order. From this simple premise emerges a much larger question: who actually gets to decide what constitutes a malfunction? Applied to a machine, the answer might appear straightforward, but applied to a person (or society), it becomes considerably more troubling. ...

10Oct

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Fences – Lyric Hammersmith

Fences by August Wilson “is a powerful family drama about racism, lost dreams, fatherhood, betrayal and the emotional barriers people build around themselves and the people they love”. This production is directed by Daniel Bailey and with Ray Fearon playing Troy Maxson and Madeline Appiah playing his wife, Rose. The time is the 1950’s America when Black working class families were trying to survive racial discrimination and generational trauma. The story centres around Troy Maxson, a Black man in his fifties working on the streets of Pennsylvania. What becomes evident early in the play is that Troy is a troubled man scarred by this past, trying to live in the future; but his demons uncover a deep abyss of loneliness. His actions towards his relationships with his wife Rose and his c...

The Love That I’ve Lost – Bread and Roses Theatre

10Oct

By Holly LilyNo Comments

London

The Love That I’ve Lost – Bread and Roses Theatre

Love is very complicated, and The Love That I’ve Lost undoubtedly demonstrates that. Written and directed by Morgan Clarice, The Love That I’ve Lost follows three generations of women: Lillie (Harriet Spence-Reid), Michelle (Amelia Dunn) and Betty (Nina Anderson), as they navigate their complex love lives. Lillie, the youngest of the three, is new to dating and struggles with the rejection that can come with finding the right person. Her mother, Michelle (though difficult to believe with the age gap not seeming believably big enough), is going through a messy divorce, finding it hard to move on when she is still so in love. Betty’s husband is suffering from dementia, and so despite still being in a long-term relationship, she feels a lack of love as a result of feeling him slowly s...

10Oct

By Abigail PendleburyNo Comments

North West

Calendar Girls – Octagon Theatre

Calendar Girls is a beautifully uplifting and heartfelt production that all audiences relate to. The show radiates warmth, humour and a humanity which created an atmosphere that felt both intimate and uplifting. It’s one of those rare productions where you laugh freely, feel deeply, and leave the theatre with a renewed sense of connection and optimism. It just shows why this story has resonated with audiences for so many years. What makes the production so special is the sheer authenticity of the cast. Every performer brings sincerity to their role, portraying the friendships, frustrations and quiet bravery of these women with a real emotional depth. The camaraderie between them is so effortless, you can feel and believe the friendships, and grief, and the courage it takes each of them ...

Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr – Z-arts

10Oct

By Grace LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr – Z-arts

There is something truly special about watching young talent take to the stage with confidence, enthusiasm and a genuine love of theatre, and Manchester Musical Youth’s Apprentices production of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland JR delivered all this and more during its opening night at Z-arts, Manchester. Featuring a cast of 36 talented young performers aged between 8 and 13, this vibrant production was a wonderful showcase of the passion, dedication and creativity at the heart of Manchester Musical Youth. Directed by Shannon Holland, with producers Dave and Kimberly Holden, musical direction by Kimberly Holden, and assistant choreography by Rose Warburton and Amelie Hassouna-Smith, the production brought Wonderland to life with colour, character and theatrical charm. Following he...